The Only Exception
by Sophie Temrer Rimmer-Artley
Summary: Rimmer's reflecting on the past at a very special event... RxL


**AN: I think I've gotten a weeny bit obsessed with Paramore of late, partly because I'm going to see them live in November (my first ever live show, aah!), so here's yet another songfic, and my second Paramore one! This is from Rimmer's point of view by the way. Enjoy!**

_And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance_

_And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness_

_Cause none of it was ever worth the risk_

_Well you are the only exception..._

_~ The Only Exception, Paramore_

He's the only one who knows, who understands. He's the only person I trust with the stories of my past. I could never tell anyone else how insecure I became when I was just a boy. I knew nobody else would treat the information the way he did, with the tenderness that is so out of character for someone like him.

But you know what's funny? I wouldn't have him any other way. And that's the way it's always going to be. We take one another as we are, flawed and imperfect. Human.

I'd never really thought it was fair to describe myself as a human, being a hologram and all, but he always insists I'm just as human as he is. I once told him that wasn't much of a compliment, but rather than snap back at me as he used to, he just laughed and kissed my cheek.

I often wonder what my parents would say if they could see me now. They'd probably disown me. And do you know what I'd say to them after that? I'd turn right round, and say bitterly, "You know what, Mum, Dad? That's probably the best thing you've ever done for me." Then I'd walk away and leave them there, not looking back once.

It's a sad thing to say that disowning you was the best thing your parents could ever do for you, but let's be honest, it's true. They never did anything for me. Howard, John and Frank were the golden boys. They could do no wrong. It was all blamed on me, poor, defenceless little Arnold Judas.

_Judas_. That middle name still sends a chill down my spine. Couldn't they have used James? Jacob? Jonah? Anything would have been better than the name of the backstabbing disciple of Jesus Christ. Heck, they could even have put Jesus as my middle name! I'd always wanted to change it, and I once told my father that. He looked down at me. and said with such disdain, "It won't do you any good, boy. A Judas you came into this world, and a Judas you'll leave it." I cried so hard that night. Actually, I lost count of the nights I _didn't_ cry myself to sleep when I lived with my... family.

It hurts to call them family. They sure never acted like one. He's my only family now. Or at least he will be very soon...

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Where was I? Oh yes, my past...

As I grew up, I knew there was no way anyone would ever want to share my life with me, so I shied away from affection, claiming I kept my distance out of choice. What a load of smeg. I wanted nothing more than someone, anyone, man or woman, to tell me, just once, that they cared.

Then I finally made it into the Space Corps. I was so elated, I could have danced for joy. And as I worked as the Third Technician, a lowly odd-job man, I thought to myself, _hey, it'll be worth it when you make it to officer! That'll show them!_ So I worked and worked, and revised for then failed my exams, and then worked again. I was stuck in an endless cycle of underachievement. Things briefly looked up when I met Yvonne McGruder. She was so beautiful, but she had no idea who I was, even when I spent that twelve minutes with her one evening. Finally I heard I was getting a promotion because there was a new Third Technician starting.

And that was the day I met Dave Lister...

With a gerbil-faced grin, a nod of his head, and a greeting of "All righ'?", the Scouser shuffled his way into my heart. I couldn't tell him, of course. The first meal he ate aboard Red Dwarf, he disappeared off to make new friends, leaving me alone. It was never going to be any other way. I saw him buddying up with Chen, Selby and Petersen, and my heart sank. He would be one of _them_.

As the weeks went by, he'd often stagger into our sleeping quarters in the middle of the night, drunk as hell, and I'd have to call for the automatic toilet to turn around, and drag him over to make sure he threw up down the loo, holding back his dreadlocks. After his often violent puking, I would run him a glass of water and give it to him. He'd slowly sip from the glass, barely registering my presence, and eventually clamber unsteadily up to his bunk and fall asleep, snoring. I'd pour the rest of the water away and command the toilet to turn back again, before settling back to sleep myself, congratulating myself on yet another job well done.

When the crew died, Holly brought me back as a hologram, an electronic shadow of my former self, unable to touch anything. It was hell. And what made it all the worse is that, when Dave had come out of stasis, I was planning to tell him how I felt about him. Fat lot of use that would be now I was dead, a hologram. Unable to even put a hand on his shoulder, let alone silence his constant nattering by kissing him.

After many long years of torture, I finally got my hard-light drive when we met Legion. I was over the moon. Actually, forget the smegging _moon_, I was surfing the Jupiter Rise! When we had finally repaired the hole that the stardrive had made in the side of Starbug, I went rushing to the sleeping quarters to find Dave. I skidded into the room, coming to a halt right in front of him.

"In a rush, Rimmeh?" he asked with a smirk, which I soon wiped off his face with a kiss. It was barely even a peck, but it shut him up good and proper. He looked at me for a long time, then finally spoke.

"I've been waitin' three million years for ya to do that, man." he whispered.

A million fireworks went off inside my heart, and I grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him again... and again... and again...

"Arnold! It's your line!" Dave laughs, nudging me, and I snap out of my reverie.

"I do." I say, unable to keep the massive grin off my face.

"In that case, I now pronounce you man and... umm, husband." Kryten says somewhat awkwardly. Sod him. It's not his life. "You may kiss... er, each other." he finishes hurriedly, because I have already lunged at Dave and started kissing him. There is polite applause from Cat, although I can tell he's averting his eyes, and as I pull back from Dave, there are tears of happiness on both our faces.

What did I tell you? I said he was soon going to be my only family, didn't I?

Keeping people away was my rule. He's the only exception.

**Awww! Review please!**


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